Why are you turning out to be an American mouthpiece? If I were in power we would not have even invited American firms to compete...

American firms should not be allowed to participate in global competitions unless they signed an agreement not to poke their noses post sales including End-User Verification

I agree they are world leaders in aerospace technologies but journalists like you have forgotten 1971 when USS Enterprise was sent to Indian waters. You have forgotten the US sanctions after India went nuclear.

Those Americans can never be trusted. I do not care what back channel support they may be providing to India. But there should be no attempt whatsoever to have any form of strategic relationships with them.

My humble request to you would be to stop promoting the F35 or any other FUCK ALL US fighter aircraft and/or attempt to change public perceptions of the US.

After spending 4 years in short listing, why the Indian Government would like to waste this opportunity to induct more squadrons in its fleet. I am eagerly waiting for your post. Please support your assumptions by facts not by astrology

Would be interesting to read your thoughts on it though it may go against what the IAF and MOD have been stating publicly. Even I've believed that this contract is going into its most delicate and vulnerable stage esp if the two quoted prices are close and one of the two vendors decides to appeal.

PS:-I hope it's not coincidental that you've put up a picture of an F-18 crashing!!!

Although I was in support of MRCA initially, Now i am not so optimistic about this. If the cost and time frame are considered, I have started to think F-35 might be the better way to go.. CTOL version should not cost much more than a EF.Plus we will have assurance of the spare parts and upgrades will not cost more than the actual plane ( as in case of Mirage )..While writing the article please touch this line also..

Ajai, do you get paid to write such absurd commentaries , come on really ? Also what does the picture of a S.Hornet crash have to do with your post ? Perhaps a "Photoshopped" image of a F-35 crashing would have been more appropriate since that project might just get scrapped with the drama over trillion dollar budget cuts by the U.S Govt - no sacred cows there remember ? If the cows get too fat they just eat them.

US aircraft deal in any form is like handing over the remote control of Indias battle machine to them and saying ''its yours you can switch it ON and OFF at your will''.And as far as the MMRCA deal outcome is concerned it will be decisive and one of the contender will walk away as a winner .We know who its going to be.

The F-35 has come under scathing critize in the US:www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQB4W8C0rZI

May countries which had earlier agreed to buy it are now having second thoughts, like Canada, where it has become a political issue:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwO8X-0j3vo

If you are going to suggest that IAF go for the fighter then please give us factual counterarguments to the prevaling critisism of the F-35, and justify it's rising cost per plane (currently at $130 million)

I think Col.Ajai is right. The steepy price and lower shelf life and the out dated design which is going to hinder the future modification and upgradation of the MMRCA contestants are the negative factors in this bid. Its good for India if the bid gets scrapped off. F 35 JSF would be a valuable asset for IAF in the forth coming decades!Cheers!

Most of the guys leaving comments here simply don't understand the true nature of threat India is facing. J20, SU30 MKK, S400 Missiles from China needs a credible answer and that is F35 JSF and not Eurofighter or loser of all trials Rafale. They might be good in Libyan airspace, which has already been rendered safe by the US air force.

If the F-35 is indeed the answer to the J-20/Flanker threat, then why is it that there are rising concerns in countries like Australia and Japan on its capabilites?? There were reports a few months back that the Japanese may drop the F-35 from its F-X project. These countries have almost the same level of concern of China as we do.

How exactly will the F-35 counter the threat of these jets? It can't supercruise and its turn-rates are not exactly awesome. And that matters in both visual and BVR regimes. You say that the F-35 has the best radar in the world-the Chinese also have toys called AEW aircraft-so that radar advantage has to be put into perspective.

About the F-35's stealth, the F-15 SE project was launched solely to match the F-35 in frontal stealth.

Whatever may be the decision the mod must take care that the IAF fighter strength should be >= 39 squadrons at all times.We also should have few squadrons in reserves even if they are of LCA MK2 or SU-30MKI .

The MOD must keep in mind we still need to master the aerospace industry and this deal could be great learning phase for LCA MK2 & AMCA programs.

Ajai u have a different view on mmrca its good, but upto know F-35 is not fully ready atleast it takes 2017 for operational ,if india order's also we will get it in 2020 only ,already we loosing many mig21's , 1st thing is we lack sqn's level- india should fulfill the large gape .its better if u can (we)support F-18 against bigger price of EuroFighter .

You folks are argueing about Americans policies and practices and mostly their policies of the past. So if past is what we need to go by, let me remind you all that the Brits ruled over India (though it wasn't India as we know it today) and enslaved us. French too set-up their colonies in India. By that Argument, the two European nations have caused us a lot more harm than the US ever did. Should we just say that will therefore reject all weapons and aircrafts that have anything to do with the two of them?